Runners World story

RW did a brief story on my town bagging exploits. I was worried about the story, but it came out okay. I was happy that they used ten of the photos that I took along the way. The fact checking had me really nervous and they didn't really fix any of the things I objected to (I couldn't see the context on any of the facts so it was hard to understand what they were saying). The one thing that doesn't seem right is the implication that Bill Rogers went town bagging with me. He did not, although I would have liked the company. They asked me who was the most famous person you've run with (and besides Hodgie) I could only think of Rogers who I outkicked one year at the Falmouth 7mile race. Anyway, here is the article and pictures.

Dark in the water

We've been running in the water at 4:30 AM and finishing just as it is getting light. It looks like we won't even see the sky get bright by the end of the month. Is that depressing?

NH fire towers

I got my patch and certificate in the mail. You have to visit five of the towers to get the patch. I went to all of them. Great fun.

Stok

I tried this stuff in my coffee and it was great! A shot of coffee. I may use this a s a pre-race drink once I get back.

Reading list

I was running low on books so off to Borders. Great deals on books! Got five for just over $50. Here is what I'll be reading over the next few weeks:


AWOL on the Appalachian Trail - David Miller -2003 account of Millers hike from Georgia to Maine.


The Sex Lives of Cannibals - J Maarten Troost - "the laugh out-loud true story of a harrowing and hilarious two-year odyssey in the distant South pacific island nation of Kirabah-possibly the worst place on Earth".


Physics of the impossible - Michio Kaku - A scientific exploration into the world of phasers, force fields, teleportation, and time travel.


The year of living Biblically - A.J. Jacobs - "one man's humble quest to follow the Bible as literally as possible".


blink - Malcolm Gladwell - "The power of thinking without thinking"...."Drawing on cutting edge neuroscience and psychology to reveal that the difference between good decision making and bad has less to do with how much information we process than with our ability to focus on a few particulart details".


Getting stoned with savages - J Maarten Troost - A trip through the islands of Fiji and Vanuatu

Week ending 07-26-09

Second week of the injury, no more fun than the first week. Got into some sort of rhythm but not quite the totals I’d like to hit. Aiming to move up to 3 hours per day average this week and get more afternoon runs in the water instead of biking. The rain last week made the afternoon less appealing. I really don’t want to be caught out in the middle of Stiles pond when a thunder storm moves in.

Mon 5am bike -30:00, Lunch bike - 30:00, 3PM Stiles pond alone -1:10:22 Total for day = 2:10:22

Tues 430am Stiles with Dave & Mike - 1:02:11, Lunch bike - 30:00, 3PM bike @ home -1:00:00, Total for day = 2:32:11

Wed 430am Stiles with Dave & Mike - 1:00:01, Lunch bike - 30:00, 3PM bike @ home -1:00:00, Total for day = 2:30:01

Thur 430am Stiles with Dave & Mike - 1:00:51, Lunch bike - 45:00, 3PM bike @ home -1:00:00, Total for day = 2:45:51

Fri 445am bike -45:00, Lunch bike - 45:00, 3PM Stiles pond alone - 1:05:12, Total for day = 2:35:12

Sat 6am Hart Pond with Petey & Dave La - 1:00:00, 8am Stiles with Dave & Mike - 1:03:00, Noon bike - 1:00:00, Total for day = 3:03:00

Sun 6am Stiles with Dave & Mike - 2:25:34, 10am bike - 1:00:00, Total for day = 3:25:34

Totals
Water run = 9:47:11
Bike = 9:15:00
Total workouts = 19:02:11
Average per day = 2:43:10



I might try this type of water running next....

Long Run

Long tough "run" today in the water at Stiles. I headed out with the Quintal brothers and 2:25 later we finished the Magellan loop around the pond. I mapped it on USATF's running routes:
http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=309505 and it came out to 1.5 miles. It was a heck of a lot of work to cover that amount of "ground".

Here is a progression of my water runs:

04-12-97 - 1 hour U-Lowell pool (first time running in water at UL)

07-26-97 - 1 hour Walden pond (first time running in water at Walden)

07-30-97 - 1:02:30 Stiles pond (first time @ Stiles)

07-31-97 - 1:08:00 Stiles

08-02-97 - 1:25:00 Walden

08-09-97 - 1:30:00 Walden

08-11-97 - 2:00:00 Stiles

08-15-97 - 2:03:27 Stiles

07-26-09 - 2:25:00 Stiles

Mountain series - All time (best avg.)

Avg---- Races --# Wins-- Name-- Team
99.13 --- 21 --- 14 --- Paul Low --- CMS
98.56 --- 30 --- 19 --- Eric Morse --- CMS
97.14 --- 7 --- 0 --- Andy McCarron --- CMS
96.42 --- 8 --- 1 --- Joshua Ferenc --- BAA
96.31 --- 9 --- 2 --- Justin Fyffe --- GCS
95.44 --- 7 --- 2 --- Jim Johnson --- CMS
95.19 --- 24 --- 0 --- Richard Bolt --- CMS
94.37 --- 56 --- 8 --- Dave Dunham --- CMS
93.94 --- 9 --- 1 --- Greg Ward --- CMS
93.79 --- 9 --- 0 --- Fergus Cullen --- CMS
93.38 --- 25 --- 1 --- Mike Casner --- CMS
92.70 --- 7 --- 1 --- Craig Fram --- Whirl
91.47 --- 12 --- 1 --- Dan Verrington --- CMS
91.17 --- 17 --- 0 --- Jim Pawlicki --- CMS
90.88 --- 18 --- 0 --- Todd Callaghan --- GCS
90.33 --- 18 --- 2 --- Kevin Tilton --- CMS

Old Goats

I came across this picture with no names listed on the back. It is the first "Goat" picture. All pictured ran: Wachusett, Kearsarge, and Temple (Pack) in 1996. Any help matching names up to those pictured? I'm third one up on the right.

Here are the folks that did the series (not many are still doing mountain races):

Dave Dunham
Mike Casner
Tom Doody
Ronald Johnston
Thomas O'Donoghue
Rob Bradlee
Harold Lambert
Dave Birse
Jack Casey
Peter Shajenko
Rick Moore
David Maleski
Henry Golet
Peter Paelinck
Will Desrosiers
Steve Davis
Bill Van Valkenburg
Eldon Burkinshaw
Don Ross
Eugene Metto
Edward Sutcliff
James Woodward
Ed Howe
Skip Cleaver

Margo Webber
Karlee Kenison
Lisa Hart
Beth Duton
Katherine Chabot

Weekly mileage

First of six weeks off. Ugh!

M – Got bone scan for right foot. Can’t walk without serious pain.

T – Still very painful to walk

W – Got results: Stress fracture out for 6 weeks.

Th – 4:45 AM 31:27 water run in Stiles Pond. 3 PM 62:12 in Stiles.

F – 9 AM 45:00 in Stiles. 1 PM 66:32 in Stiles.

Sat – 630 AM 45:01 in Hart Pond with Pete and Dave La. 9 AM 65:13 in Stiles

Sun – 630 AM 2:00:08 in Stiles with Dave and Mike Q.


Total – 3 days completely off, 4 days running in the water for a total of 7:15:35.

Long run

This morning I met up with Michael and Dave Q and we hit the water at Stiles pond at 6:30 AM. the plan was to do an hour together then I was planning on another hour. We did a nice loop - Dock, Blair witch house, Dock, Dock, and in. that took us just under 70 minutes. We headed for the cars and all had a hammer gel. I was surprised (and pleased) when they both decided to join me for another loop. We did an out/back and tried not to disturb all of the fishermen. It was hard to not sdisturb hem as we were pretty loud during most of the run. It was about as much fun as 2 hours in the water can be. Lots of laughs with the Q-brothers. It looks like they'll be joining me for some more water running over the next five weeks.

Foggy morning

It was foggy out there this morning in the water, but that also kept down the number of spectators.

Thanks to Dave and Mike who helped pass the time yesterday. Both are on the Injured Reserves and decided to give water running a try. We did 45 minutes together and I did another hour plus on my own. They both seemed interested in coming back for more.

This morning Petey and Dave La (Pictured above) joined me for an early morning jaunt. I got in 45 min with them at Hart Pond in Chelmsford. We all had wet suits and more importantly water shoes. Hart is a bit overgrown with weeds at the begining and the bottom is a bit slimy. I hit Stiles Pond (Boxford) afterwards and did another hour plus. My rotator cuff is sore and triceps/biceps are sore from the additional arm work. Hopefully I'll get used to the extra workload quickly.

Obscure Mountain series facts

The six races this year totaled over 12,000’ of climb and 6,000’ of descent over 38.8 miles. One hundred runners completed all six races thus earning the title “Mountain Goat”. This was a record for the number of Goats breaking the record from 2007 of 61. The average field size was 243 finishers which broke the 2007 record of 213. Pack, Cranmore, Loon, and Ascutney all set records for their biggest fields. Wachusett only came up three runners short of their record and Northfield was 12 short of a record field.

There have now been 65 races over the 14 years of the USATF NE mountain series. Donna Smyth leads the women with 46 finishes while Fred Ross leads the men with 58. Dave Dunham leads all-time scoring with 5,284 points and Donna Smyth leads the women with 3,945.

Races Name Team Points
46 Donna Smyth CSU 3945.18
44 Emer O'Donoghue SRR 3010.76
43 Lisa Doucett CSU 3529.84
43 Laurel Shortell WMAC 2618.08
30 Suzy West CSU 2889.80
30 Kate Naples CCAC 2219.39
24 Dawn Heinrich GCS 1994.12
24 Kathy Hurst 1956.07
17 Abby Mahoney CMS 1575.30
17 Haley Heinrich 1215.68

58 Fred Ross CSU 3375.59
56 Dave Dunham CMS 5284.71
51 Paul Grant CSU 3128.34
50 Richard Stockdale GCS 3717.55
46 Ray Boutotte NMC 2449.06
44 Walter Kuklinski CMS 2801.42
44 Eldon Burkinshaw GCS 2756.56
44 Richard MacDonald GCS 2659.60
39 Skip Cleaver GCS 2212.37
37 Peter Orni NMC 2508.43

Most series titles (all with four or more):
Dave Dunham has seven titles, two overall victories and five in the 40-49.
Barbara Robinson has seven titles, four in the 60-69 and three in the 70+.
Lisa Doucett has seven titles, three in the 40-49 and four in the 50-59.
Eric Morse has six titles, all of them overall series victories.
Peter Orni has five titles, all of them in the 60-69.
Suzy West has five titles, three overall victories and two in the 40-49.
Richard Stockdale has four titles, one in the 40-49 and three in the 50-59.

Injured - again

Bone scan came back positive for a stress fracture in the tarsal/metatarsal joint. Not really surprising considering how painful my foot has been, but still disappointing. Back to Stiles pond....

SF info:

The incidence of stress fractures in the general population is unknown, as virtually all literature on the subject is derived from a military population or advanced-level athletes. Stress fractures are estimated to constitute up to 16% of all injuries that are related to athletic participation; running is the cause in most of these cases. Most stress fractures (95%) involve the lower extremities, particularly the metatarsals.
The term Lisfranc's joint refers to the tarsometatarsal joints where the long bones (tarsals) in the foot meet the smaller bones (metatarsals) of the toes. Named for Jaques Lisfranc a surgeon in Napoleon's Army

My SF history
07/12/09 – Right foot Lisfranc’s joint (tarsal/metatarsal) stress fracture
08/31/08 – Sacrum stress fracture in two locations, 8 weeks off
12/10/06 – Left hip stress fracture of Ileum, 4 weeks off
10/14/05 – Right fibula stress fracture, 6 weeks off
02/12/98 – Sacrum stress fracture, 6 weeks off
07/03/97 – Right Navicular stress fracture, 7 weeks off
04/10/97 – Right foot signs of stress fracture - 25 days off
01/21/91 – Right foot possible stress fracture – 2 weeks off

How it affects your running
The pain from a metatarsal stress fracture is usually felt on the top of the foot, over the affected metatarsal bone. The pain can be dull or sharp, constant or intermittent.

Pain may persist at rest and may even be severe enough to prevent sleep. There may be tenderness and swelling over the stress fracture. Activities like running can make the pain from a metatarsal stress fracture worse.

Causes of Metatarsal Stress Fracture
Decreased density of the bones (e.g. osteoporosis)
Unusual stress on a metatarsal due to mal position or another forefoot deformity (e.g. bunion)
Abnormal foot structure or mechanics (e.g. flatfoot, over pronation)
Increased in hill running or speed work

Last October at Stiles....at least this year it won't be as cold.

Week ending 07-14-09

M - Lunch 4 sore from Loon but not bad 29:15
PM Bird 6 sanct 43:28

T - Lunch 2 on treadmill 1430 into 4m o/b 32:06
PM pouring rain Winni 6 right foot killing me 44:28

W - Lunch o/b 4 28:20
PM Bird Sanct 6 41:28

Th - Lunch 6 on treadmill moving fast 41:03
PM River 8 o/b & o/b felt better (?) 57:42

F - Lunch 6 on treadmill down to 6:00 pace 40:26
PM Winni 8, foot really hurts 56:45

Sat - 7.5 o/b on Freeman rail trail in Chelms 60:04
2.5 o/b Oak hill fire tower in Conc 23:53
8 m up/down and around Okemo Mtn in VT 1:36:30

Sun - 3 w/up 2353 then another mile
4m (?) race up Ascutney 3rd place 38:44 (Pictured above not happy at the finish)
4m w/down running down the mountain

Total for the week = 90 miles
Highest week this year but foot that had been bothering me for about a month is now much worse.....

Ascutney

I'll sum up this race in two words "never again". That is what I said as I crossed the finish line. I've been worried about this race since I heard about the change to trail. I've been to the summit a few times in the past and even the good trail from the parking lot to the top has some sketchy parts.

Anyway, the day started with another huge group warm-up. Other than the big group warm-down, it is probably the best fun of the day. I felt pretty lousy which is normal for me and chatted a bit with Andy M about the course during the warm-up. It would be his first attempt at Ascutney and JJ and I felt he had the best chance of winning. Weather conditions were the best they've been in years, but the big thunder storms from the night before meant very wet trails. When I asked the RD about the trail (with the emphasis on how much downhill there was) I heard that there was some flat but no down.

A record field toed the line, partly due to the 100 Mountain Goats (did all six races in the series). My original plan was to go out hard but I did not feel very good so at the last second I told JJ I was not going to go out hard. Boy did it feel hard! Tim M took it out fast and JJ joined him. I settled in behind Andy and we hit the mile in 8:01 about 5 seconds back. Soon after (or maybe it was right before....who the hell can remember these things) Joe Shaw stormed by. He looked smooth and I had no idea who he was. JJ and I pulled ahead of Andy as Tim M dropped back. Shaw slowly pulled away and was 16 seconds up on us at two miles.

JJ and I were matching strides and hit 2 in 16:55. I started feeling stronger as we went along and was looking forward to some steep climbing. Shaw was looking back a lot and we were closing on him. Just before the trail section (2.3 miles) I called for JJ to take the lead. He noted "I'm in the hurt box" and had me go first. The lead was down to 11 seconds. I knew JJ would not stay behind me, I was going way too slow for him. The footing was crap and I did not want to break an ankle. About 50m into the trail and JJ was flying by. He caught Shaw within the first 1/2 mile of trail.

I loved the climbing sections as I closed on Shaw and could see JJ in the distance. At 30 minutes I passed Shaw on a climb. Then we hit another flat/downhill and I could no longer see JJ. On a switchback I could see that Andy was closing. I went particularly slow on a steep little ravine where you had to climb down a rock. My bod just does not bend the right way to do this stuff, which is why I've gotten away from trail racing. I don't mind going off-road, but give me trails like Loon, Cranmore, Northfield, and even most of Wachusett over this awful junk.

Andy caught me at 33 minutes and I stayed a few strides behind him until we hit the last intersection. I knew how much was left and knew what the footing was like as this was part I'd run in the past. I took my time and pulled into the finish in 38:44 to take third. I was happy to see JJ get his second win of the season, hopefully this will fuel his desire to do the entire series next year. Maybe he'll give Andy a run for his money as Andy took the overall title. I was pleased to sneak ahead of Todd Callaghan for 2nd place in the series. Todd was solid again this year and will be a monster in the 40+ age group next year.

All in all a good day, but I didn't want to hang out too long afterwards. My foot has been very sore for the last month and was killing me standing around after the race. I just wanted to get home and get some ice on it, so off I went long before any results were done. CMS had a great day with 6 in the top 11.

I hope the RD reconsiders the course and either goes back to the road course or maybe the road course and THEN run to the summit via the parking lot trail (which isn't nearly as technical and is pretty much all up).


1 1/26 M3039 37:26 9:22 Jim Johnson 32 M 583 Salem NH
2 1/13 M2029 38:08 9:32 Andy McCarron 26 M 247 Keene NH
3 1/34 M4049 38:43 9:41 Dave Dunham 45 M 539 Bradford MA
4 2/13 M2029 39:03 9:46 Joe Shaw 28 M 373 Grantham NH
5 2/26 M3039 39:56 9:59 Todd Callaghan 39 M 455 Somerville MA
6 2/34 M4049 40:52 10:13 Tim Van Orden 41 M 246 Bennington VT
7 3/13 M2029 41:11 10:18 Thomas Brown 23 M 544 Boston Ma MA
8 1/9 F2029 41:25 10:22 Kasie Enman 29 F 342
9 4/13 M2029 41:39 10:25 Tim Mahoney 29 M 450 Holyoke MA
10 5/13 M2029 43:20 10:50 Philip Mason 22 M 251 North Thetford VT
11 43:56 10:59 James Pawlicki M 562 Beverly MA

Mountain series history

Group shot on the summit of Ascutney in 2008.....

Sunday marks the end of the 2009 USATF NE mountain series. Here is my take on the history going back to very begining....

The USATF Mountain circuit was founded in 1996 as a way to get runners to enjoy the distinct aspects of various mountain races in New England. The number of races and dates they have been held have changed on occasion and a few races have been added or left during the last thirteen years. Scoring has always been based on the winner’s time, with the winner receiving 100 points and all others receiving points based on their percentage behind the winners time.

I was involved with USATF since the late 80’s (when it was still known as TAC) working as an athlete’s rep. on the New England board. I had been traveling to Europe for a couple of years to mountain race and wondered why there wasn’t any real organization to the many mountain races in my own backyard. Since no one else seemed interested in trying to pump up involvement in Mountain running I took it upon myself. I approached the races that I knew of and asked them to be part of a circuit, and so it began. I was in charge of the series from 1996-2001. From 2002 to 2005 Richard Bolt took control and from 2006 to present the circuit has be ably managed by Paul Kirsch.

The USATF New England circuit champions in the Open, 40+, 50+, 60+, and 70+ categories are decided based on the best five results from the six (for 2009) race circuit. Points are given for each USATF finisher based on a percentage of the winner’s time. All current USATF members are scored in the circuit. A special “Mountain Goat” award is presented to those who complete all six races, along with a Lottery By-Pass to the following years Mt Washington road race.

USATF New England, Inov-8, and the efforts of the race directors involved make the circuit happen. Inov-8 arrived on the scene in 2009 as the title sponsor.

Races in the circuit:
1996 Kearsarge, Wachusett, Temple (Pack) - 34 completed all 3
1997 Kearsarge, Wachusett, Temple (Pack) - 47 completed all 3
1998 Kearsarge, Wachusett , Pack, Stratton - 42 completed all 4
1999 Kearsarge, Wachusett, Pack, Stratton - 27 completed all 4
2000 Kearsarge, Wachusett, Pack - 35 completed all 3
2001 Kearsarge, Windblown, Wachusett, Pack, Ascutney - 18 completed all 5 (Best 4 scored)
2002 Kearsarge, Wachusett, Pack, Ascutney - 39 completed all 4
2003 Wachusett, Kearsarge, Pack, Northfield, Ascutney - 11 completed all 5 (Best 4 scored)
2004 Kearsarge, Wachusett, Northfield, Ascutney - 23 completed all 4
2005 Kearsarge, Wachusett, Pack, Northfield, Ascutney, Cranmore - 21 completed all 6 (Best 5 scored)
2006 Wachusett, Pack, Northfield, Ascutney, Cranmore, Loon – 18 completed all6 (Best 5 scored)
2007 Wachusett, Pack, Northfield, Ascutney, Cranmore, Loon – 61 completed all 6 (Best 5 scored)
2008 Wachusett, Pack, Northfield, Ascutney, Cranmore, Loon – 58 completed all 6 (Best 5 scored)
2009 Wachusett, Pack, Northfield, Ascutney, Cranmore, Loon

Wachusett Mountain Typically held on the last Saturday in May. The race is hosted by the Central Mass Striders. The first race was held (twice!) in 1978 and was fairly successful. It was contested from 1978 to 1986 when the host Montachusett Regional YMCA decided to cut back on its road race calendar. The CMS brought the race back in 1992 and it has been held continuously since. The traditional course climbs over 1400 feet with 400 feet of drop in 4.3 miles of paved road. This is a tough mountain race because it is something of a “sprint”; times are generally equal to a 5-mile flat race. Amenities include a very reasonable entry fee, baggage to the finish, prizes in five age groups excellent management by the Central Mass. Striders. The race has been part of the series since 1996. In 2009 the course was changed to an up/down version as construction on the summit road made the original route unusable.

Winners
5/25/1996 Dave Dunham 24:35(CR) & Margo Webber 30:06 (CR) – 208 finishers
5/24/1997 Eric Morse 24:39 & Margo Webber 30:19 – 233 finishers
5/23/1998 Dave Dunham 25:29 & Margo Webber 30:52 – 243 finishers
5/29/1999 Eric Morse 24:14(CR) & Julie Peterson 29:24(CR) – 243 finishers
5/27/2000 Eric Morse 24:32 & Julie Peterson 29:38 – 260 finishers
5/26/2001 Eric Morse 24:30 & Suzy West 30:57 – 209 finishers
5/25/2002 Eric Morse 24:20 & Cathy Pearce 30:35 – 305 finishers
5/24/2003 Paul Low 24:50 & Suzy West 31:22 – 247 finishers
5/23/2004 Paul Low 25:17 & Nikki Kimball 30:38 – 204 finishers
5/28/2005 Paul Low 25:29 & Kara Haas 30:24 – 197 finishers
5/27/2006 Paul Low 25:07 & Carly Graytock 31:11 – 275 finishers
5/26/2007 Paul Low 25:44 & Barbara McManus 31:02 – 328 finishers
5/24/2008 Ryan Carrara 25:21 & Amy Nedeau 29:13(CR) – 338 finishers
5/23/2009 Ryan Carrara 30:44 & Adrienne Shields 38:20 – 335 finishers
Course records: Open Eric Morse 24:14 (‘99), Amy Nedeau 29:13 (‘08).

Pack Monadnock: Typically held the first Sunday in June. Pack has been part of the circuit since 1996. The race was been held continuously from 1990 through 2003. The event was not held in 2004, but returned in 2005. The tem mile course climbs 2,000 feet and drops 300 feet over mostly paved roads from Wilton NH to the summit of Pack Monadnock in Temple NH. The last mile, which is entirely within Miller State park, has climbs steeper than Mt Washington (11.5% average grade). The final 200m has a grade of about 30%. Amenities include mile markers, water stops, and baggage to the finish.

Winners:
1996 Dave Dunham 59:13 (CR) & Margo Webber 1:15:03 (CR) – 196 finishers
1997 Eric Morse 1:00:12 & Margo Webber 1:14:18 (CR) – 209 finishers
1998 Dave Dunham 1:01:40 & Margo Webber 1:16:02 – 210 finishers
1999 Eric Morse 58:35 (CR) & Suzy West 1:16:13 – 157 finishers
2000 Eric Morse 1:01:25 & Suzy West 1:15:22 – 132 finishers
2001 Eric Morse 59:07 & Nikki Kimball 1:14:46 – 191 finishers
2002 Craig Fram 1:00:58 & Cathy Pearce 1:17:20 – 158 finishers
2003 Rod Viens 1:06:15 & Suzy West 1:18:39 – 189 finishers
2005 Greg Ward 1:07:14 & Suzy West 1:22:25 – 184 finishers
2006 Paul Low 1:03:55 & Kelli Lusk 1:13:35 (CR) – 173 finishers
2007 Paul Low 1:04:42 & Kelli Lusk 1:14:20 – 225 finishers
2008 Glenn Guillemette 1:05:52 & Tara Cardi 1:15:35 – 277 finishers
2009 Brendan Callahan 1:02:37 & Abby Mahoney 1:17:27 – 292 finishers
Course records: Eric Morse 58:35 & Kelli Lusk 1:13:35

Northfield Mountain: Northfield has normally been held the Saturday after Pack Monadnock and has been the home for the USATF New England Association championships for Mountain or trail running from 2003 to present. The event served as a qualifier for the TEVA USA Mountain running team in 2003 and 2005. The current version of the course was first incorporated in 2006 is a 10.3K featuring 1,200’ of climb and descent. The footing is very good and the surface is 100% trail. Amenities include the lowest entry fee in the series ($8-10 pre) and excellent facilities for a mountain race.

Winners:
2003 Paul Low 50:05 & Kelli Lusk 1:00:03 – 84 finishers
2004 Joshua Ferenc 49:18 & Kelli Lusk 1:03:04 – 128 finishers
2005 Simon Gutierrez 58:30 & Anna Pichrtova 42:17 – 93 finishers
2006 Dmitry Drozdov 35:32 (CR) & Suzy West 47:19 (CR) – 97 finishers
2007 Paul Low 36:36 & Kelly Lusk 43:29 (CR) – 228 finishers
2008 Mark Miller 35:47 & Amy Nedeau 41:12 (CR) – 174 finishers
2009 Josh Ferenc 36:26 & Abby Mahoney 43:42 – 216 finishers
Course records: Dmitry Drozdov 35:32 & Amy Nedeau 41:12

Loon Mountain: Loon Mountain has been held the week on the first Sunday of July although it has been run as early as the final weekend in June. Loon has been part of the series since its creation by USATF NE Mountain chair Paul Kirsch in 2006. The race has been designated the USATF NE mountain running championship and will served as a qualifier for the TEVA US Mountain running team in 2006. The course was been designed to mirror the 2006 World Trophy course in Turkey, thus giving runners in New England a taste of an international mountain race. In 2007 the ½ mile of flat running on paved road at the base of the mountain was eliminated and the course is currently 5.6 miles with 2,800’ of climb and descent. The signature feature of the race is the 1 kilometer stretch climbing Upper Walking Boss, a grass slope with an average grade over 30%. Race features include a low entry fee, baggage transport to the summit, and wild strawberries lining sections of the course.

2006 Paul Low 47:08 & Kelli Lusk 1:00:46 – 96 finishers
2007 Paul Low 47:50 (CR) & Kasie Enman 53:36 (CR) - 192 finishers
2008 Eric Blake 46:01 & Jennifer Johnson 1:04:15 – 170 finishers
2009 Jim Johnson 48:25 & Kasie Enman 53:17 (CR) – 204 finishers


Mt Cranmore: Cranmore may be the oldest continuously held mountain race in New England with over 20 years of history. The race has been held on various dates, in more recent years one week after Mt Washington. The course has been varied throughout the years, from a straight run to the summit, to a three loop quad buster. The current version of the course features two loops up and down the mountain climbing and descending 2,000’ over 11K. The race is sponsored by Inov-8 and hosted by the White Mountain milers. The race has thrice hosted the National championships (2005/2007/2009) and been a selection race for the US team. It has also been designated the USATF NE Mountain championship.

Winners
2005 Eric Blake 1:03:46 & Julie Bryan 51:29 – 129 finishers
2006 David Hunt 48:15 & Dawn Heinrich 1:05:05 – 101 finishers
2007 Rickey Gates 1:02:48 & Anna Pichrtova 46:45 – 173 finishers
2008 Justin Fyffe 53:51 & Abby Woods 1:08:36 – 139 finishers
2009 Joe Gray 48:37 & Christine Lundy 57:16 – 236 finishers

Ascutney Mountain: The race was first held in the early 70’s as a tune-up for local XC skiers and has always been popular with roller-skiers. After many years of inactivity it was brought back in 2001 as part of the circuit. There is also a popular bike race to the summit in late July. The up until 2009 the course was the paved toll road to the summit parking lot near the top of Ascutney in Windsor VT. The average grade (12%) and the many twists in the road are reminiscent of the Mount Washington road race. The course climbs 2,300 feet in 3.7 miles. Amenities include mile markers, a water stop, and post-race refreshments. All runners are expected to arrange transport down or run down after the race. The race originally was held a week before Mt Washington but in recent years has been held in mid-July.

Winners
2001 Eric Morse 28:47 (CR) & Nixie Raymond 40:27 (CR) – 104 finishers
2002 Eric Morse 28:44 (CR) & Cathy Pearce 37:29 (CR) – 99 finishers
2003 Eric Morse 29:49 & Suzy West 36:52 (CR) – 80 finishers
2004 Kevin Tilton 29:02 & Emily Willems 41:00 – 70 finishers
2005 Paul Low 29:27 & Suzy West 38:00 – 81 finishers
2006 Paul Low 29:39 & Abby Woods 41:37 – 56 finishers
2007 Dave Dunham 31:36 & Kasie Enman 35:07 (CR) – 133 finishers
2008 Eric Morse 29:47 & Dorcas Wonsavage 37:56 – 131 finishers
Course records: Eric Morse 28:47 & Kasie Enman 35:07

Gone but not forgotten:
Mount Kearsarge Last held May 29, 2005. The course climbs 2,400 feet and drops 400 feet over 8.5 miles. Kearsarge was part of the circuit starting in 1996. The first Kearsarge race was in 1995; previously many local runners had used the course as a tune-up for Mount Washington. The first 5 miles is a rolling country road. The real climb begins just after entering the Rollins State park at the 5-mile mark. Typically racers will run about the same time for the first five as they do for the last 3-½ miles! In 2001 the race had to stop at the 5-mile mark due to dangerous road conditions.

Winners
1996 Dave Dunham 51:23 (CR) & Margo Webber 1:05:53 (CR) – 97 finishers
1997 Eric Morse 52:32 & Margo Webber 1:04:50 (CR) - 124 finishers
1998 Mike Casner 54:48 & Amber Duncan 1:05:29 – 151 finishers
1999 Dave Dunham 51:02 (CR) & Suzy West 1:06:29 – 108 finishers
2000 Eric Morse 51:22 & Suzy West 1:05:58 – 155 finishers
2001 Eric Morse 28:26 & Suzy West 34:08 – 124 finishers
2002 Eric Morse 51:49 & Nikki Kimball 1:04:30 (CR) – 162 finishers
2003 Eric Morse 53:36 & Barbara McManus 1:04:55 – 121 finishers
2004 Paul Low 53:07 & Kelli Lusk 1:03:40 (CR) – 161 finishers
2005 Kevin Tilton 52:25 & Suzy West 1:08:06 – 158 finishers

Stratton Mountain 12k: Held in 1998 and 1999. The facilities and course were excellent as were the people at Stratton who put on the race. Unfortunately it just didn’t attract enough runners to the site for it to remain feasible. It was the New England championship the two years it was held, this was the first time the Association hosted a Mountain Championship. The course was entirely on trails and had over 2,000’ of climb. It is also the site of the rock climbing wall where the guide told me “stick your hand in the crack and make a fist”, needless to say the entire group was in stitches about that for days (actually the quote is thrown out every once in a while to this day).
Winners
1998 Thierry Icart 51:27 & Amber Duncan 1:05:40 – 85 finishers
1999 Eric Morse 46:33 & Julie Peterson 58:28 – 56 finishers

Windblown 10K: Held once in 2001. A multiple loop 10K was held in 2001 over the Windblown XC ski area in New Ipswich NH. The course was created to mirror (as best as possible) the up/down course of the World Trophy. The course twice passed over the summit of Barrett Mountain and was run over parts of the Wapack trail. Eric Morse was leading the race after one lap before going off course. Dan Verrington and I tied, thinking they were second and third. Nikki Kimball took the women’s victory.
I designed this course to be one that I could win, so I thought. It had tough climbs, but very non-technical descents. Had Morse been able to follow the profusely marked course he would have crushed my time. This was a great place to hold a race, however the use-fee was a bit too steep for my tastes.
2001 Dan Verrington 41:08 & Nikki Kimball 47:51 – 55 finishers

Series winners:
1996 Dave Dunham, CMS
1997 Eric Morse, CMS
1998 Dave Dunham, CMS
1999 Eric Morse, CMS
2000 Eric Morse, CMS
2001 Eric Morse, CMS
2002 Eric Morse, CMS
2003 Eric Morse, CMS
2004 Josh Ferenc, BAA
2005 Paul Low, CMS, 40+ =Dave Dunham, CMS
2006 Paul Low, CMS, 40+ =Dave Dunham, CMS
2007 Paul Low, CMS, 40+ =Dave Dunham, CMS
2008 Justin Fyffe, GCS, 40+ =Dave Dunham, CMS

Women
1996 Lisa Hart
1997 Margot Weber, CMS
1998 Margot Webber, CMS
1999 Sue Lachance, CSU
2000 Suzy West, CSU
2001 Yuki Minami, GCS
2002 Cathy Pearce, WRT
2003 Kate Naples
2004 Kelli Lusk, CMS,
2005 Kathy Hurst
2006 Kate Naples, CCAC
2007 Abby Woods, GSH
2008 Nancy Cook

New England Runner

Here is the first of a three part article I wrote on town-bagging in Massachusetts....

Old singlets

Double-J seems to really get into the history of CMS singlets and he certainly digs some of the old school models. I've passed along a couple that I no longer wear. I wore the "Purple Rain" singlet at Loon and tried to find the first time I wore it. It looks like Jan. of 1997 at the Dartmouth relays. I found pictures back to 1994 of Craig Fram wearing the singlet. Back in those days the entire team might be wearing different singlets. Basically if you showed up at the right race (or went to Drewniak's house) you got whatever new stuff he had.

One of my favorite races is the Carson Memorial 2 mile held in Chelmsford on the fourth of July. The last two years I entered but ended up not racing. Maybe next year? It's tough as it falls right in the middle of the Mountain series. Looking back at some of the old results....

25 years ago:
07/04/84 2.1 miles 9:38 1st place. I note in my training log that I passed the 2m mark in 9:11.

20 years ago
07/04/89 2.1 miles 9:27 1st place. The field nearly doubled in since 1984 with 300 finishing.
The next day I ran 9:03 on the track and was soundly beaten by Bob Hodge who set a Cawley stadium record with his winning 8:54 effort.

10 years ago

The day before Chelmsford I was outkicked in the last 100m at the Bridgton 4m, but I came back the next day and outkicked Chris Teague in the last 1/2 mile at Chelmsford.
07/04/99 Bridgton ME 4 miles 19:55 2nd place - 1257 finishers
07/05/99 Chelmsford MA 2 miles 9:23 1st place - 1127 finishers

Week Ending 07-05-09

Boy do I look like I'm in Pain....

This week I had my lowest mileage since getting sick in January, mostly due to soreness from Cranmore. I’m still in a bit of a post-Mt Washington funk so the low mileage is probably for the best.

M – Lunch 4 o/b alone 33:33 (could be my slowest ever) very sore quads and Achilles.
PM 6m at Winni with JJ and Trish – 46:21

T – 4 lunch with Jack o/b 32:41
No PM run

W – Lunch run 4 o/b alone 30:06 feeling a lot better
PM treadmill run 1 minute step-downs feeling much better – 42:22

TH – Lunch 4 o/b with Jack 31:57
PM Winni 6, wet and muddy 44:10

F – Off from work so double 5m loop (a little short due to road section to avoid the worst mud) with Ken T, Dan V, and JJ – 1:11:11

Sat – 730 AM 6 at Winni alone, feeling good 43:03
11:00 AM 6 o/b on Lincoln Woods rail trail with Paul B and Paul K – 46:44
3 hours marking the course at Loon

Sun – 815 AM 3m w/up with big group 24:51 then another mile on my own. 50:01 5th place in the Loon Mountain race. 3m w/down with GBTC guys, Kasie, and Andy Mc 23:09

Set a PR for the .6 climb up Upper Walking Boss during the race. In 2007 I covered it in 9:22, this year 8:55.

Total for the week = 69 miles
Next up: Ascutney Mountain race on Sunday

Mountain series

Ascutney will settle the series....only 7 seconds between me, Todd, and Jim.

Name		Best 4	Points	Total time	Races
Dave	Dunham		91.51	0:33:35	Wach
			92.63	1:07:36	Pack
			93.88	0:39:30	North
			86.33	0:56:19	Cran
			96.80	0:50:01	Loon
		374.82	461.15	4:07:01
Todd	Callaghan		93.70	0:32:48	Wach
			91.19	1:08:40	Pack
			95.49	0:38:50	North
			87.10	0:55:49	Cran
			94.29	0:51:21	Loon
		374.67	461.77	4:07:28
James	Pawlicki		93.89	0:32:44	Wach
			93.83	1:06:44	Pack
			95.13	0:38:59	North
			80.71	1:00:14	Cran
			91.58	0:52:52	Loon
		374.43	455.14	4:11:33
Tim	Mahoney		92.20	0:33:20	Wach
			89.52	1:09:57	Pack
			94.48	0:39:15	North
			85.62	0:56:47	Cran
			89.58	0:54:03	Loon
		365.78	451.40	4:13:22
Tim	VanOrden		93.84	0:32:45	Wach
			88.73	1:10:34
			91.49	0:40:32
			83.13	0:58:29
			94.56	0:51:12
		368.62	451.75	4:13:32

Loon Mountain

Loon Mountain - pictured above the pack heading up Upper Walking Boss photo's by Scott Mason.

I headed up to Lincoln, NH on Saturday after getting in a brisk 6-mile run at Winni. The 100 mile drive went smoothly with little traffic and I met up with Paul K and Paul B at Lincoln Woods. We got in a nice run out/back on the rail trail which has become something of a tradition. Then we were off to Loon Mountain to get the final preparations done for the fourth running of one of my favorite races. Tim V (TiVO) showed up and helped us getting things organized. Unfortunately just as we were getting ready to mark the course it started to rain. We holed up in my car for a ½ hour waiting for the worst to pass then went out and put about 500 flags out to mark the 5.6 mile course. I was feeling pretty beat from the 3 hour hike and glad that all the mileage for the day was done early.

Paul B headed for his campsite and Paul K headed for pizza. TiVO and I refueled the car and headed to Paul’s house for a relaxing dinner. Race day was quickly upon us and I taped up my ankles and gathered up my gear and we were off for the ride over the Kanc. A quick stop at Dunkin’s certainly helped pass the 30 mile ride. The hardcore mountain runners were already in the parking lot at 7:15 when we arrived. Paul had things running smoothly so I just concentrated on pre-race final preparations.

A big group of us headed out for a 3 mile warm-up. Patrick Ard joined up with JJ, Jim P, Andy Mc, Tim M, Paul b, TiVO and me for a nice easy run. Maybe it wasn’t that easy as I was sweating profusely by the time I was back to the car. It seemed like great conditions to race in, especially for an early July mountain race. There was a mix of sun and clouds and temps were in the low 60’s with low humidity. I switched into my Inov-8 racing flats and headed over to the line (with a brief detour to put out some cones on the first ¼ mile of the course).

Paul gave a few brief instructions, including the fact that the course gets progressively more difficulty and that there was no shame in dropping out at 4 miles when you reach the top of the lift (and still have the hardest 1.6 miles of running left). Then the record field of over 200 of us were off. Boy, did it seem to go out fast! I was not in the top 20 at the end of the dirt parking lot. We hit the first climb at ¼ mile in and I was in 15th place. I was feeling a bit rough around the edges and wasn’t sure if it was going to be “one of those days”.

The first climb brought a couple of guys back and started sorting things out. Abdeltif Faker was WAY out in front, I had no idea who he was and figured he’d flame-out. Jim Johnson, Patrick Ard, Ed Breen, and Andy MCarron trailed Faker. On the first big downhill TiVO went flying by me, I also moved ahead of another couple of guys. I hit the mile in 6:14 and could see that Faker was still well out in front and the Jim had now moved into second. Ard followed with Breen and MCarron strung out behind. Adam Pacheck, a high school runner from NY, was between McCarron and the next group which was the group I was most interested in. Jim Pawlicki, TiVO, Tim Mahoney, and Todd Callaghan were all running together about 10 seconds ahead of me. I was running alone in 11th place but starting to feel better as we got into the first steady climb of the day. The four guys ahead of me were the guys I was closely competing with in the series and I wanted to keep them close. My hope was to be near them until the Upper Walking Boss section of the course where I felt I would be able to out-climb them (hopefully).

At about 1.5 miles in I had reeled in the group of four and right before the first water-stop I pulled slightly ahead. I kept looking ahead and was definitely closing on Pacheck as I hit 2 miles in 14:17 (8:03). There is a nice drop after 2 miles and a bit of a grassy traverse, I pushed hard on this section figuring the chase group would close on me. I quickly caught Pacheck and he tucked in behind me on the grassy side-hill. As we started the steep grassy climb he through in some surges. I thought about telling him to settle in and relax, there was a long way to go, but thought the better of it and next thing I knew he was off the back. I was tempted to look back and see how TiVO, Tim, Jim, and Todd were doing but didn’t want them knowing I was worried. I also knew that just after three miles there would be a spot to check out the competition.

I passed three miles in 23:40 (9:23) and then plunged for 200 meters before hitting the 170 degree turn. I was surprised to see TiVO not far behind but couldn’t make out who was trailing him. I figured I had about 15 seconds on TiVO and at least 15 more on the next guy. I also calculated that I was about 30-40 seconds behind Breen. He had been looking back quite a bit since Andy had passed him before the 3 mile mark. I thought he’d falter but he stayed steady on the tough climb from the 170 to the West Summit. Every once in a while I could see Andy in fourth place but I couldn’t see what was going on any further ahead. I was thinking that if I had a good finish I might even have a shot at winning (which is a funny thing to be thinking in 6th place about 3 minutes behind the leader).

Not much happened heading to the four mile, it is a difficult mile but aren’t they all. I reached four in 34:20 (10:40) and was told I was 20 seconds behind Breen. The short steep section right after the summit was a bit tricky and I took it very slowly. I tried to “air it out” on the downhill but also kept thinking “don’t wipe out and ruin your race, plenty of running left”. I saw Breen turn onto the Upper Walking Boss (a .6 mile section of double black diamond grass ski slope with an average grade over 30%) and timed him. He was 28 seconds up as I turned the corner and shifted into low gear.

This is not a faked shot, it really is this steep and steeper.

For the first time in a long time I could see all five guys who were in front of me. Jim was still leading (but walking….he walked the entire UWB section) but Faker and Ard seemed to be closing on him. Andy was mixing running with power walking and Breen was walking and looking back a lot. I caught him a little over 4 minutes into the climb and noted we only had another 4 minutes (to the top). He went with me for a bit then yelled out “watch out Andy…he’s coming”. I was definitely making up ground on everyone but was also running out of real estate. I felt better than I’d felt all day and ended up running my fastest split ever for the UWB (8:55 for .6 miles). This was the first time I’d run the entire hill, in the past I’d walked at least on the 45% section. I yelled out for Jim as he was caught by Ard and Faker just before the top.

I hit the five mile mark in 46:33 (12:13) and knew that I wasn’t going to be catching anyone else. My goal for the last crazy downhill (300’ of drop in less than 1/3 of a mile) was to just not get hurt. I hit the finish line as the clock rolled over 50 minutes and was quite pleased to take 5th. Jim had hammered the final downhill and rolled to a 24 second win. TiVO had a solid run taking 7th just over a minute behind me.

1 Jim Johnson 0:48:25 CMS 510 M 32
2 Abdeltif Faker 0:48:49 416 M 24
3 Patrick Ard 0:48:57 Whirlaway 502 M 25
4 Andy McCarron 0:49:34 CMS 499 M 26
5 Dave Dunham 0:50:01 CMS 487 M 45
6 Ed Breen 0:50:16 GBTC 533 M 27
7 Tim VanOrden 0:51:12 CMS 486 M 41
8 Todd Callaghan 0:51:21 GCS-triad 411 M 39
9 Mats Lemberger 0:51:25 501 M 25
10 Adam Pacheck 0:52:30 451 M 17
11 Jim Pawlicki 0:52:52 CMS 454 M 34

14 Tim Mahoney 0:54:03 CMS 436 M 29
45 Robert Thomas 1:03:40 CMS 478 M 49
65 David Lapierre 1:06:20 CMS 432 M 45
79 Dane LeBlanc 1:09:16 CMS 523 M 51
109 Heather Arsenault 1:16:03 CMS 256 F 31
126 Walter Kuklinski 1:18:35 CMS 431 M 60

Loon Mountain - no safe word

The USATF mountain series is scored in a best 5 of 6 format. Next up is Loon Mountain on Sunday. It is wide open right now with Justin Fyffe or Andy McCarron needing to run the last two races. If either of them do they'll likely finish 1 - 2. If they do not run, the gap between the next four runners is close. Here is a breakdown of points and time differntial. It should make for some fun racing over the next two weekends!

Pictured on the summit of Pack: dd, Justin, jj, Dave Q, Jim P, then front Andy M, Todd C, Tim M, and Ben Nephew

Todd Callaghan
32:48 Wachusett
1:08:40 Pack
38:50 Northfield
55:49 Cranmore
3:16:07 Total time

Dave Dunham
33:35 Wachusett
1:07:36 Pack
39:30 Northfield
56:19 Cranmore
3:17:00 Total time

James Pawlicki
32:44 Wachusett
1:06:44 Pack
38:59 Northfield
1:00:14 Cranmore
3:18:41 Total time

Tim Mahoney
33:20 Wachusett
1:09:57 Pack
39:15 Northfield
56:47 Cranmore
3:19:19 Total time

Tim VanOrden
32:45 Wachusett
1:10:34 Pack
40:32 Northfield
58:29 Cranmore
3:22:20 Total time

Mountain series

Exhausted at Cranmore

The scoring in the USATF NE Mountain running series has really tightened up after the fourth of six races was completed last weekend. Cranmore, which was held on June 28, was not only the NE Mountain championships but also served as the US championships. The level of competition was arguably the best in an up/down race held in NE and was probably only second to the deep field at Mt Washington last year (when it hosted the national championship). Most of the series runners will record their lowest scores to date as the winners ran 3 to 4 minutes faster than the top New Englanders. As the series is a best 5 out of 6, it will be unusual to see anyone using Cranmore as part of their best scores.

CMS runners are well entrenched in the top five scores thus far with four of the top five places. Current series leader Todd Callaghan (GCS) holds a three point lead over top 40+ runner Dave Dunham (CMS). The top four are all within 5.5 points and the top five are within 8.6 points. Andy McCarron and Justin Fyffe (both CMS runners) are also in the hunt as both have missed one race. Should they run the final two races either of them could potentially win the series.

Points-----Races-----Name--------Club
367.48 ---4---Todd Callaghan - GCS
364.35 ---4---Dave Dunham – CMS 40+
363.56 ---4---James Pawlicki - CMS
361.82 ---4---Tim Mahoney - CMS
358.06 ---4---Tim Van Orden – CMS 40+
347.63 ---4---Thomas Brown

291.14 ---3--- Andy McCarron - CMS
287.00 ---3--- Justin Fyffe - CMS

Week Ending 06-28-09

Mon – 4 at lunch still sore from Mt W run down – 2814
PM – Basin mile twice then o/b 4 at Winni alone – 4303

Tues – 430am – Industrial park 6 – 4346
Lunch 4m w Jack – 3154

Wed – 430am – Ind Pk 6 w Dan – 4547
Lunch o/b 4m alone – 2700
PM Winni six with JJ – 4222

Thurs – Lunch 4m with Jack 3214
PM Winni 8 w JJ – 5634

Fri – Winni o/b 4 w Rich with 2 walks of 1 min at 10 and 20 min – 3253
Right into Winni 6 with Al – 4530

Sat – Winni 6 alone at 7:45 am – 4155 (feeling pretty sick)
1 PM at Cranmore, some flat running plus part of the course -3104

Sun – Warm-up at Cranmore w big group – 2249, then another 8 min on my own. 11.6 KM two loop race with 2,400’ climb/descent – 5620, then warm-down 2525. Pretty beat up.

Total for the week – 81 miles
Month – 317
Year – 1,968
Life 106,080